


Tutoring The Bad-Boy

by RiverOfFandoms



Category: Malcolm in the Middle
Genre: F/M, Malcolm In The Middle - Freeform, Reese x OC, Tutoring
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-05-15 12:43:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5785753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverOfFandoms/pseuds/RiverOfFandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tessa Bodea (OC) tutors Reese Wilkerson, the high school bad-boy. She worries about it at first, reluctant to tutor him because of once falling victim to his schemes. But as she connects with Reese and his family, she realises that you really can't base what you think about people on your own assumptions. </p><p>That you can find friendship where you least expect it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meeting Reese

“Reese Wilkerson.”

I scrape through my brain for a moment, placing names with faces. Suddenly a boy who may be older than me pops up in my head, spikey hair and rebellious eyes. The low-life who is brothers with Malcolm. I’m in Malcolm’s year-level so he must be a year older than me, maybe two.

Wait a second…

Reese Wilkerson! The guy who thought it would be funny to soak me with a disgusting mixture of juices and expired milk with his water gun. “Oh no.”

The teacher raises her eyebrow and her lips form a sneaky smirk. “Oh yes.”

“No, I can’t tutor him. No way in hell.” My eyes grow wide for a moment, “Sorry, but… really? Isn’t he like two years older than me? He’s so big and scary… And I don’t think his hygiene is that great either-

“Look, you’re a smart girl.”

“No, not really. And that doesn’t give me any more confidence to tutor someone who is a few years older than me!”

“He’s only one year older than you and you have Malcolm to support you and look out for you while at his house.” She says with a sort of kindness to her voice.

“Malcolm isn’t exactly my best friend you know, we just hang out a few times because of our mutual friends.” I argue.

“No one else can do it but you, you have the right amount of determination and even stubbornness. Reese really needs the help, at least do that much. And don’t forget, the family pays you seven dollars an hour.”

I couldn’t possibly reject her now, she complimented me and even persuaded me to give this idea a second glance. But tutoring the most bad-boy at my high school? But then again, it’s only two or three hours a day… Maybe I can push through it. “Oh alright but if he slips up and does something weird, I’m out.”

“Thank you so much Tessa! You start tomorrow, 3 days a week. You can choose what days of course but I’ll need you to start right on time.”

I nod and stand up still processing this through my mind. Tutoring Reese won’t come easy, especially since I’ve never really tutored anyone before and the things I’ve heard about him… well, let’s just say they don’t leave a good impression. And having experience with his terrible actions just gives me more reason to dislike him.

But it’s not like I’m doing it for nothing, I need the extra money.

 

* * *

 

“How was your day?” My Mum asks me as I take a seat at the dinner table. My Dad decided to visit so she likes to put on a façade and actually pretend to care about my day and how it went. I don’t know if it’s to prove to him that we’re better off without him or to impress him so he’ll come back.

I move a few pieces of broccoli around my dinner plate, “It was alright. I’ve decided to tutor a student.”

“Do you get paid?”

I know it’s not good to lie but if I had told her the truth she’d surely try to take away my supply. “No, but it will give me extra points in-

“How about your day? Was work okay?” She interrupts, turning her attention to my father.

I nibble on my dinner but know too well that I can’t leave the table until my parents are finished. Then they’ll talk more outside and drink wine. Mum will ask for money and if they get drunk enough they might even “make love” to each other.

She thinks I don’t know about the little thing they have and sometimes I wonder if I should be happy about it but it’s not doing any good. They’ve been doing this _thing_ for a while now and nothing is happening. It’s just sex and money, it’s depressing.

The front door swings open with a creak and then slams shut. Footsteps trail along clumsily through the hallway and into the kitchen, Lacey is home.

Lacey is my 2-year-graduate sister and probably the only the person I can talk to, when she’s not wasted of course.

“Ohhh Mother!” Lacey says with giggles all through, “Hello Father.”

“Lacey are you…” Dad asks with a concerned look on his face.

“Oh Dad, don’t bother to look so worried about me. We all know you don’t give two shits about any of us.”

“Lacey-

“Ugh, I’ve already had enough of this family-thing, whatever it is.” She shakes her head and drags a bag along the ground with her to her bedroom.

I stare down at my plate and wish to be let out. To be free for a while, maybe wander the streets. Maybe I could go buy some food since I’m not going to eat this meal made from fakery. If I just went for a walk I could clear my head and push all these confusing thoughts out of my head too.

“Mum, I’m just going for a walk.” I say as I pick up my dishes to take it into the kitchen.

She dismisses me with a wave of her hand and a simple ‘okay’ as she continues her thrilling story of how her day went and all the gossip about this neighbor and that neighbor.

I pull on a hoodie and jog out of the house until I’m far away from it. As I walk I notice a lot of families in their houses probably having a really nice family dinner. But then again, maybe not. Would every family be as dysfunctional and sad like mine?

I reach the corner deli and buy a few items to consume later. As I walk out I see three hooded figures running towards me. At first, I consider going back inside. That would be the logical decision but because I often over-think things my mind takes too long to decide and the world around me spins upside down and my head hits the floor, causing a black out.

I awake on a couch. A weird kind of couch, kind of ugly too. It smells old and like teenage boys. I take in my surroundings as soon as the brightness calms down. This house isn’t recognizable and I start to panic. But as soon as my heart starts to race and my palms release sweat, a woman walks over to me with a smile on her face and a glass of water.

“Hi, I’m Lois. You were knocked over by my sons just before. I’m so sorry, they’re little brats and are definitely being punished right this moment.” She says with an evil glint in her eye. But as she directs “Would you like to call home?”

I sit up a little and I feel my head ache, “No, no it’s okay. It’s not like they would care.”

She looks a little taken back and possibly feeling an awkward sensation, anyone would. “Alright, well if you need anything I’ll just be at the dinner table.” She points to an old, scraped table that sits in the middle of the open kitchen. I nod and look down at my hands.

Should I leave? Maybe wait a little more… Anything would be better than home at the moment.

Lois enters my view again with three straggly boys lurking behind. I recognize one of them as Malcolm.

“My boys would like to say something, right boys?” She glares down at them with fury and caution.

Malcolm steps up closer and says, “We’re really sorry we knocked you over. Uh, it was dark and neither of us saw you before it was too late. Again, we’re really sorry.”

Lois looks at the older boy, who I realize is Reese, with a stern gaze and he quickly replies with a frightened look. Are they scared of their mother? She couldn’t be that bad…

He takes a step forward, “I don’t see why I have to apologize.” As soon as those words escape his lips Malcolm recoils and backs away a long with their little brother whose name I don’t know. Lois crosses her arms over her chest.

“And why is that?”

“Because, as Malcolm said, it was dark. We didn’t see her.”

“Yes, but it was your fault for being out late to go set of fireworks near the old folks’ home. Right?”

I stifle a laugh but Reese notices the amusement on my face and smiles at me. “It was funny to see the old people screaming and running around like headless chickens.”

I shouldn’t find this amusing. Terrorizing old people? That is so immature and really reckless but imagining them the way he said it… I can’t help but laugh. And as soon as I do, Lois’ eyes are on me. The same fury and evil. I immediately stop and put my serious face on again and say, “Sorry.” All the while I see Reese looking over at me out of the corner of my eye. Lois and I finally break eye contact as she snaps back to her son, telling him all sorts of punishments.

“Malcolm!” She calls.

Footsteps sound and a glum face appears from the doorway, “Yeah?”

“Walk,” She looks over at me as if expecting something from me, and then I realize she doesn’t know my name.

“Tessa.”

“Walk Tessa home.” And with that she stomps out of the room leaving three teenagers to stare awkwardly at each other.

I stand up from the couch, everything feels slightly dizzy but I manage to keep upright. Malcolm leads the way to the door but before we leave the house, Reese finds his way beside me.  
“Sorry for knocking you over before.”

I feel a little surprised at first but then I reply, “No, it’s alright. Maybe you should have apologized in front of your mother?”

“Eh, she doesn’t control me. Wouldn’t want to give her the satisfaction.” Then he stalks back inside, waves a goodbye and shuts the front door.

I fall in-step with Malcolm as I lead him back to my house. “You don’t have to walk me home, I’m alright,” I say once we’re a street away from his house.

“No, it’s okay. She’ll know if I have or haven’t some way or another. She’s really intelligent and uses her evil in cunning ways. Besides, I wouldn’t want to go to sleep tonight not knowing if you got home or not.”

“Oh, alright.”

A few minutes pass of silence that isn’t exactly awkward. It’s just silence. Maybe Malcolm feels awkward but because of my over-tiredness, I almost felt nothing.

“So aren’t you supposed to be tutoring Reese?”

I remember back to the teacher’s office and how she explained that Malcolm already knows about it. “Uh, yeah.”

“Good luck.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

He looks over at me as if I’m the dumbest person on the planet. “It’s Reese! He’s actually an idiot if you haven’t noticed. My parents tried to make me tutor him once, and believe me, I _tried_.” Malcolm shakes his head, “He’s too dumb.”

“Actually, I heard that he bullies you into doing his homework…”

He glares back at me and I’m suddenly reminded of Lois. “Well, yeah. But have you seen him? Big, dumb people can push you around no matter the cost. And he has an advantage because he doesn’t think about things. Why are you sticking up for him anyway?”

I put my hands in the air, “Hey, I am _not_ sticking up for that douche. I’ve been a victim to his stupid ideas before, I was just pointing it out to you.”

“Oh yeah? What did he do to you?”

“I was minding my own business, walking across the courtyard while lessons were happening. No one else was around except for me… And then he comes out of nowhere just squirting what smelt like orange juice, apple juice, maybe pineapple? And expired milk! I had to have at least five or more showers to get the smell off of me.”

“That is _nothing_ compared to what he’s done to me while I grew up! You’re lucky.”

“What has he –actually, never mind, I don’t want to know.”

We walk up to the front door of my house, the light blinks on. “Thanks for walking me home.”

“That’s okay, see you tomorrow,” he says as he walks away with a small wave. I watch as he jogs down the street, eager to get home. Or eager to get away? I’ll never know. I turn to face my house and I suddenly hope that everyone’s asleep or busy. Busy enough to not notice me. I open the unlocked door and walk in, the lights are off in the living room and what looks like the rest of the house. I trudge upstairs and jump into my bed as soon as I enter my room.

It’s been a long day. 


	2. Reese The Puppy

I wait outside of the house again, the Wilkerson house. It’s shabby and run down and I’m a little worried to enter. What if I’m greeted by Lois? She’ll definitely remember me from last night. Or what if it’s Reese? I’m so scared to see him that my legs might stop working and that I might collapse. I somehow muster up enough courage and take a step forward but before I can knock on the door it swings open with a slimed up boy.

“Who are you?” The blond boy asks me, looking as if he doesn’t even notice the slime all over him.

“I’m-

“Oh, you’re that girl from last night. Excuse me.”

I move out of the way and he walks out of the house, I watch as he goes over to a tap situated in the corner. He washes all the green slime off of his face, hair and clothing. Then he walks back into the house, leaving the door wide open. “You can come in.”

I enter the house, the memory must have slipped my mind of how messy and unorganized it looks. No one is around and I don’t want to just go room-to-room looking for Malcolm or Reese so I linger in the living room.

“Oh hey,” Malcom says as he enters the kitchen, “Reese is in our room. The door should be open but if it’s not, I suggest you knock first.” He warns.

“Are your parents around?”

“Double shifts for Mum tonight and Dad does whatever he does.” He opens the fridge and searches for something to eat, the smell wafts into my nose and I immediately cringe. Hopefully I don’t get hungry around here, I don’t want to be fed something that could probably kill me.

“Where is your room?”

“Just through there,” he points vaguely and it doesn’t help me one bit. I walk into the hallway filled with a few toys and a couple of old, vaguely smelly t-shirts. I spot a room with a shut door and hope for the best. Or maybe it would be better if it wasn’t him, I’m still a little nervous.

I knock on the door and deep, intimidating voice from within tells me to come inside. I push the door open and it creaks with age. It looks like a typical teenage room until I see a kid kind of side to it. Do they all sleep in here?

“Hey.” Reese chucks his comic at the end of the bed and looks down at me as he stands. He’s a lot taller than I remember. “Hey, you’re that girl from last night! Tessa right? I was expecting someone else… Did you leave something behind?”

“Uh, no.” Oh boy. “I’m here to tutor you.”

“You’re my tutor?” He asks with a surprised look. “Whoa, that’s weird.”

“Uh-huh.”

He walks over to the wooden desk that has papers and books strewn across the top of it. He sits down in one of the chairs and offers the seat beside him to me. I take a seat, feeling very uncomfortable at this close of range.

“So what do you need help with?”

“I don’t know, you’re the tutor.”

“Yes but I don’t know what things you’re struggling with in class.”

“I struggle with everything.”

“What things are you good at?”

“I’m not good at anything.”

“I’m sure you’re good at a lot of things.” I notice his homework splayed out in front of him, it looks like English homework. “How about this?” I point to the homework and he sighs.

“I already tried to do it but I’m too stupid.”

“Reese, you’re not stupid. You just need extra help.”

“Because I’m stupid.”

I stifle a groan and sit back in my chair. The teacher did mention he was difficult and that he’d need my determination but I’m already starting to lose motivation for helping this idiot. “Look, Reese. Tell me what you’re supposed to do and I’ll help you do it. Okay?”

Instead of telling me he hands me a piece of paper stating the essay question and what points must be included. It shows the criteria and the name of the book. “Alright, this seems simple. All you have to do is answer this essay question,” I point out the question and he reads it, “by explaining it with your opinions, using quotes from the book and explaining those said quotes. Have you got notes written out or page numbers for quotes you thought would be useful?”

He looks dazed for a moment and then says, “I haven’t read the book yet.”

I bite the inside of my lip in frustration but I’m not fed up yet. I can do this. “When were you given the book?”

“When we came back to school.”

“This term is almost over!? Have you at least opened to the first page?”

“I read the title!” He looks hopeful and I don’t really want to crush it but of course that’s not enough.

“Have you ever written your own essay before?” I ask, hoping for a yes.

He focuses on remembering for a moment and then says, “Nope!” with _a lot_ of enthusiasm.

“Reese…” I sigh. This is literally going to go nowhere. I won’t get money if he doesn’t show any improvement and he might fail all his classes. “Let’s at least get the introduction done and then we can have a break.”

Reese nods and grabs his pencil. We look up a simple summary of the book since I haven’t read it myself. It seems straightforward so we complete the introduction and Reese looks pleased with himself.

I stand up from the desk and stretch a little as Reese packs his things away. I walk over to his bed and snatch up the comic and hold it in front of him. He looks a little confused, like a confused puppy. “Is this the comic you’re up to?”

“Yeah, why?”

I immediately put the comic into my backpack and zip it up. “Instead of reading the comic you’re going to read this book,” I hold up the class novel, “once you’re finished I will give you this comic back.”

“But-

“No buts Reese, this is how it is going to work. You need to read this book. I know it looks long and hard and you probably had no motivation to read it –but you do now. You finish that novel and I will give you this comic.”

He reaches for my backpack but I slap his hand away. I slip the bag onto my shoulders and cross my arms over my chest. He looks at me with pleading eyes but I hold my ground. He takes a quick step forward and snakes his arm around to my back and pulls at the straps, bringing us incredibly close to each other. My heart races and I slam my palm into his chest causing him to stumble back.

“Oh alright, you win.” He says with a grumpy face, and then he pokes me hard into the shoulder, “but you better watch your back.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Reese.” I walk out of his room, or more like back out, keeping his comic far away from his desperate hands. I stride through the kitchen and wave goodbye to Malcolm and his little brother. I still don’t know his name.

 

* * *

 

I hate walking to school. I loathe it. You don’t know when someone creepy could pass you or an old neighbor needs help with their groceries. And then there are the dogs that constantly bark at you as you walk by. Just as I thought that nothing bad could happen, I hear footsteps. Not just walking footsteps, but fast paced ones directly behind me.

“Tessa!” I recognize the calling voice as Reese’s. He falls in-step beside me with a striking smile.

“Hey Reese, did you start reading?”

He grins down at me, “Yes! I read the first page.”

I was hoping for the first few chapters but I guess that’s good enough, right? “Good job.” I say with a smile.

“Are you coming over again tonight?”

“Mhmm.”

“Alright, well I’ll see you later!” I watch as he races passed me, his backpack bobbing up and down on his back. He seems to lead a simple, easy-going life. I wish I could do that.

I get to school in no time and stop by Mrs Reika’s office, the teacher who demanded me to tutor Reese. “Hello Tessa, how was last night?”

“It was alright. Reese is a little inexperienced but I think I can get him up to speed soon.”

“Thank you again! I’ll see you in 2nd period.”

I give her a quick smile and a wave and then leave the office to attend my first class. Once I reach it, I realize that it’s just class work that I’ve already completed so instead of being a good little student and doing other class work, I pull out Reese’s comic and decide to read it. Other people look over at me with surprise, how can the teacher’s pet be having fun, they must wonder.

It’s a typical comic-story with a special main character who realizes that they have a special gift or what-not. It’s not the best thing I’ve read but I’m not going to lie, I found it entertaining. Maybe I could nick a few off Reese to continue the story. The art is quite detailed and the storyline is exceptionally well written.

Too bad one can’t finish a novel in this length of time.

 

* * *

 

I see Malcolm in the kitchen already as I enter the house, “Hey Malcolm- I look over at the small, blond-haired boy. I still don’t know his name!

“It’s Dewey…”

“Uh, yeah, sorry. Hey Dewey. Is Reese home?”

“He should be. Probably in his room.” Malcolm answers as he makes a sandwich. “Want one?”

“No thanks,” I say and walk through the kitchen to the bedroom. The door is shut once again and I don’t knock. Instead I swing the door open and catch Reese sitting on his bed with a girl locked onto his lips. I squeal in surprise and slam my hand over my eyes as I run away from the scene. I knock into Malcolm but thankfully I don’t send his sandwich flying.

“What? What’s wrong?” He asks in a frantic panic.

“I-uh- I saw Reese and a girl…”

“Oh. Don’t worry, there’s no one in this family who hasn’t seen it. I would feel sorry for you but it was bound to happen.” He walks over to the couch and switches the TV on to a wrestling channel. I sit beside Dewey at the table and look over at what he’s doing.

He frantically scribbles down what looks like music notes on a music sheet. I look over at his notes –I don’t know a lot about music but it seems pretty detailed and difficult. “You’re good at music?”

“Uh-huh. It’s like a running thing in this family though. Mum is good at being the worst person in the world, Dad is good at messing things up –oh and cutting people’s hair. Francis is good at making our parents hate him, Reese is good at being dumb, Malcolm is a genius and so am I but better.”

“Dewey, you’re not a better genius than I am. You’re just talented at the arts which is going to get you _nowhere_.” Malcolm cuts in.

“I am the gifted child. I am the ones our parents love the most.”

“Hey, I’m the gifted one. I’m the one this family relies on!”

“You don’t need to raise your voice Malcolm, you’re sounding desperate.”

“I am not-

“Hey, when do you think Reese is going to be finished?” I cut in, desperate to get away from these blabbering idiots.

They both look at me and then Dewey pipes up, “They could be in there all night for all we know.”

I groan and rest my head onto my hands. I just came to tutor an idiot and now I have to sit with them and talk to them, what next? Become one?

I watch as a blonde girl walks past the table, waving at the two idiots. She doesn’t take any notice of me. Once she’s completely left the house I decide to stay and tutor Reese with the little time I have left.

The door is wide open so walking in without knocking isn’t a problem. As soon as I enter Reese looks up at me and gets off his bed. “Sorry, I completely forgot about you. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass though.” He says with a sheepish grin.

“Oh, _I’m sure_.” I roll my eyes as soon as he looks away to grab his book.

He pulls it out of his school bag and shoves it into my face, “I read some more at school!”

I place my bag beside the desk, “Really? How many chapters?”

“One!”

I stop myself from screaming at him and flipping the desk. I must be calm and collected, calm and collected. No need to start brawls, that’ll only make things worse. “Alright, that’s a good start. When is the essay due again?”

“Two weeks.”

I’m going to cry.

I force him to read a few more chapters but both of us start losing our sanity by the sixth so I take him out of his room and into the kitchen so he can make himself a sandwich. “Would you like one?” He asks as he puts his together and plops it onto a plate.

“Uh, no thanks. I’m not hungry.” I say but suddenly my stomach rumbles louder than an earthquake and he looks down at it. His eyebrows crease in concentration.

“Are you sure? Your stomach just rumbled…”

“No, no. It’s okay, I’m fine.” I quickly say before anyone else can hear us. We go sit at the couch and he flicks through the channels while I look down at his notes. He’s got some really good key points and a few sentences to explain them briefly. He definitely surprises me with this quality of work. “Reese, these notes are great!”

“Really?” He asks with his eyes full of excitement and a mouthful of food.

I stifle a giggle and nod my head in reply. His face lights up and it reminds me again of a puppy, except a happy one. An excited and slightly proud one. Suddenly the front door swings open and I know who it is before I look. It feels like my soul has been partly sucked away, Lois is home. It’s not like I hate her but every time she’s around I feel a little scared and definitely nervous.

“Hey Reese, and is this your tutor?” She comes around the couch and stands in front of the TV, hands on hips. She eyes me for a second before saying, “Oh! It’s you! From the other night… Huh.”

“Yeah, hello.” I say feeling extremely awkward.

“So have you just got here or?”

“I got Reese to read through some chapters and take some notes earlier so I’m letting him have a break.” I explain thoroughly.

“Read? Reese read?” Lois starts to laugh while Reese ignores her and stares at the box behind her. I start to feel uncomfortable and wonder if I should say anything or not. “Well, thank you for trying.” She walks through the kitchen and into the hallway, her footsteps disappear.

I look over at Reese, his fingers tap nervously on the arm of the couch. He’s finished his food and it doesn’t look like he’s even concentrating on the TV. “You don’t need to worry about her, she does it all the time.” He smiles as if nothing happened.

“Wait a second, she does that to you all the time?” I question but he doesn’t reply. “A mother should be supportive and encouraging, not denying the work you’re capable of doing!”

“It doesn’t matter, Tessa.”

Hearing him say my name with such a serious tone made me bite my tongue. It’s obviously a touché subject but I can’t just leave it. Reese deserves a good Mum, even if he’s a jerk. The way he reacted to it just proves that he’s used to her misbehavior and bad parenting skills. “Look Reese, you shouldn’t let her push you around like that. It’s like she’s got you believing you’re stupid-

“I don’t want to hear anything more about it!” He shouts with the same fury in his eyes as Lois’. As soon as he realized that he shouted his face instantly softens and he looks away in shame or embarrassment.

“I’ll –I’ll see you tomorrow.” I say nervously as I stand up and edge towards the door. “Remember to read a little more before I see you again.” I walk home trying to forget his angry shouts. Did I do something wrong? Maybe it would have been best to just leave it… but then again, I just can’t leave a problem to fest and rot. It’s unfair that she treats him like he’s nothing while she gives opportunities and supports the “geniuses” of the family.

Wait, why do I even care?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while, I forgot all about it! Hope you enjoyed this one :)


	3. Reese The Rescuer

A group forms in the middle of the school courtyard, it only brings my attention when I start to hear shouts and cheers. Sometimes this school is exactly like a prison, maybe worse. I jump up from my seat and jog over to the crowd and try to kindly get through. At first, they push me back and because of my height I don’t see very well over the top of the bobbing heads. “Hey, let me through!” I shout but it doesn’t work. I hear an impact of some-sort and I start to worry, could it be a fist fight? It’s not uncommon.

I push my way through the onlookers, disappointed in them if they haven’t tried to stop the brawl. That is if it is a brawl. I maneuver through the teenage bodies getting wafts of perfume, boy deodorant and just plain, old B.O. Once I finally reach the inner circle I spot the two bodies thrashing and crashing all over the hard, concrete floor. I see brown spikey hair, the thin but toned arms and the stupid style of shirt he always wears.

Reese.

“Reese!” I shout, hands on hips. He doesn’t reply and I start to see blood oozing from his nose and mouth. “Reese!” Instead of a demanding, adult voice it becomes a severely worried one. Where’s Malcolm? Maybe he can stop this. After searching for his bright blue eyes and stupid haircut I spot him in the crowd, cheering. He must feel the evilness and annoyance in my glare as he whips around to see me. He looks at me like he’s been caught in action. I continue glaring at him and instead of helping he runs away.

Looks like I have to do this on my own.

I stomp my way over to the fist fight and look at Reese’s opponent. He doesn’t look too tough and I have no clue what his name is. I don’t know which asshole started it but I am going to end it right here right now. I march closer, “Reese you dumbass!”

Reese looks up at me with blood and sweat covering his face, slightly confused. “Tessa?”

Before I can reply the other dumbass who looks like a feral dog slams his fist into Reese’s jaw sending him over onto the floor. I cringe at the sound and my mouth drops open, what a jerk! The crowd cheers and I feel the frustration and anger I’ve suppressed for the past days burst through the walls I put up to keep it in.

I march over to the other boy, bitch face on, and grab his ear. At first he looks dumbfounded and I hear a ripple of gasps throughout the audience. I drag him away from Reese as he squirms and squeals in pain. I let go of his ear and shove him in the chest, he stumbles backwards. I glare at him until he turns his back and runs away like a frightened animal.

I walk back to the crowd, it parts a way for me. People stand back, astonished that the “nerd” took care of this immature situation. Maybe next time they shouldn’t place me into a stereotype. I go over to Reese as he sits on the floor, blood dripping onto the concrete. “Reese?”

He doesn’t reply, instead he stares off into space with a blank face. I kneel beside him but he still acts as if I’m not there. The crowd starts to disperse however which makes things a lot better for me. I don’t want to have to put on a show for those brainless idiots. “Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up, you’re a mess. Why the hell did you get into a fight with that jerk anyway? Violence doesn’t solve anything.”

He snaps his head to me, the same gloomy look in his eye from last night. “Stop acting like you’re my Mum. I fix my own problems however the hell I want to.”

I stand up and cross my arms over my chest, “Well, I don’t agree with how you fix your problems. Why can’t you be intelligent and actually think about the problem before you go punch someone in the face!? Do you have a brain at all?”

“Apparently not, according to everyone else in this stupid world.” He says as he stands up, “I’m done with this. There’s no point for a tutor if there’s no brain to… to tutor!” He stomps away in a huff, leaving me to decide whether or not I said the right things. I knew the subject of him being stupid is sensitive and I still used it to insult him. Maybe it’s me who is the jerk after all.

“Tessa!” Lisa calls out to me as I pass her in the school halls.

“What’s up?” I reply, we haven’t talked to each other for a while so it’s a little surprising. Well, maybe not. Ever since I told her that racism is still very much alive and argued until she was humiliated in front of her friends… so that’s why she ignored me.

“There’s a party tonight at Jason Crawford’s. It’s gonna be so awesome, you should come!”

Typical teenage party. Sounds absolutely _thrilling_. “Uh, yeah I might.”

“I heard Reese is going to be there.”

I raise my eyebrow and clutch onto my books a little too hard, “So?”

She smirks, “So? The whole school is talking about your little incident in the courtyard. You and Reese are a thing, right?”

I look at her with bewilderment in my eyes, how could she possibly think such a thing? Oh wait… I did pull an ear of a senior, which I had found out after, all the way through an audience of shocked teenagers and got him running with his tail between his legs for Reese… Oh c’mon, me in a thing with Reese? That is impossible! He pretty much hates me and he’s a jerk. “No way, I just tutor him after school.”

“Oh yeah? I’m sure you do.” She gives me a wink before strutting away, shaking her little skirt. I’ve only started getting to know Reese and his family, I don’t date someone if we’ve only just met. I mean, other people probably do but I’m not comfortable with that and I thought people knew that after last year?

I walk over to my next class feeling pretty sorry for myself. Which is probably selfish but right now I don’t care. I just want to go home and sleep. Wait a second, do I still have to tutor Reese? I mean, we argued and I know he is pissed off at me and I’m pissed off at him but Lois might get angry if she finds out I hurt her son _and_ skipped a day of tutoring. If Lois is angry at me that’s equivalent to finding my dead body on the floor.

Just as I thought I couldn’t find any hope at all I suddenly spot Malcolm up ahead, by himself. I jog over and tap his shoulder. “Malcolm,” I say, slightly out of breath. Hey, I’m not the best at exercise. “Malcolm, you have to help me.”

“Look, what you did to Reese… you ruined his manhood! You can’t fight his own battles like you’re his Mum!”

“Malcolm, shut up.” I take in a breath, “Do I still come over tonight or not? He told me he’s done with it all but if your Mum finds out that I skipped a day I am dead meat. Like, literally dead meat.”

“True…” He creases his eyebrows in concentration just like Reese does before he answers, “Reese is going to Jason’s party tonight.”

“Oh yeah… But that still doesn’t fix our problem.”

“Wait! Today is Thursday right?”

“Yes, today is Thursday.”

“Lately Mum and Dad have been doing this kind of date night thing, they leave at around six o’clock and come home at around 11. Sometimes they don’t even come home until the next morning! It’s perfect!”

“Yeah but I still have to come over for the _two hours_ that your Mum is there before the party.” I remind him, feeling deflated.

“Just come over, I’ll tell Reese that he has to put up with you if he wants to go to the party.”

“Gee, thanks.” I mumble sarcastically. Maybe I’ll have the chance to make-up with him and move on. Reese doesn’t hold grudges… right? If I do it in the right way…

“See you tonight then. Are you going to go to the party too?” Malcolm asks as he gets ready to walk away.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll go.” I have to go. I don’t know why exactly but I feel like I have to keep an eye on Reese. No, no I’m going because I want to have fun and be a normal, dumb teenager for a night. Nothing to do with Reese.

Right?

* * *

 

I knock on the old, run down door that I’ve knocked on only twice before. This time is different however. I’m not tutoring Reese, I’m apologizing to him. How stupid does that sound? I know, I still don’t believe after all the times I’ve told myself that it’s going to happen. After the second knock the door immediately swings open to reveal Lois’ face. She smiles at me and lets me inside, “Reese isn’t home yet. You can watch the TV if you want.”

I sit on the couch and flick through the channels. Nothing I usually watch is on so I turn the TV off and wait patiently. Malcolm said that he would let Reese know so the plan could work. He’s always here before I am so what’s the hold up? Did he refuse to come back because he knows I’d still be coming over? He wouldn’t risk not going to a party for that though… Unless he knows that Lois will get very, very angry at me and probably murder me.

The door swings open, “I’m home.” It’s Reese. He paces over to the fridge and takes out whatever kind of food they store in it and sits down casually beside me.

I open my mouth to say something but he immediately glares over at me causing me to zip my lips and not say a word. He’s obviously still mad and I don’t want to make it any more worse than it has to be.

He finishes his food and walks out of the living room and through the kitchen. “Are you coming?” He calls out to me.

I stumble off the couch and follow him to his room like a little puppy. I don’t want to speak, heck, I don’t want to even breathe! This guy has got me wrapped around his finger with fear. What if he vows to never let me tutor him again and that he’s only allowing tonight so he can slip away to the party? I mean, it all works. He can use me as an alibi and instead get smashed and hook up with pretty girls.

“You don’t speak, you don’t move, not a thing from you.” He says as he sits down on his bed.

I enter the room hesitantly and sit down by the desk. Staring at his homework is the only thing I can do without having a nervous breakdown. But then I start to notice something, I see a paper sitting neatly on top of one of Reese’s notebooks. It isn’t completed but there are at least two and half paragraphs written out with proper spelling, grammar and some really interesting points. It doesn’t take me long to figure out that it’s the essay we’ve been working on, in Reese’s handwriting.

“You’ve started the next paragraphs?” I whisper.

“What?” He asks, “Hang on a second, you’re not supposed to be speaking!”

I jump up with delight, my hands clutching the paper. “Reese! You wrote this by yourself?” I squeal as I look at him with excitement. He stares back at me with confusion at first which soon grows to realization.

“I –uh, I wanted to surprise you so I read some more and then wrote a bit…”

“When!?”

“During today.”

“This is so good!” I practically scream as I run over to him, who’s now standing. “I’m not lying, it’s really good. I’m so proud of you Reese!”

He scratches the back of his head and chuckles nervously, “Yeah well… Thanks…”

I spontaneously wrap my hands around his torso. At first he jumps with shock but soon warms up to the hug and hugs me back. I step back, slightly embarrassed about my little outburst.

“Wow… you are a nice person!” He states with a huge grin on his face.

I bite my tongue instead of arguing. This is his way of saying that he forgives me, I think. “Of course I am Reese… You know I _am_ sorry about that incident today. I guess I just didn’t know that you would be embarrassed because I thought I was rescuing you or something stupid like that. Instead I made it worse and I really am sorry…” I trail off as I realize how this is kind of weird, you know, sharing something personal with this big dumb-head.

“You were trying to rescue me?” He asks as he tries very hard to stifle a laugh but just doesn’t try hard enough.

I immediately put my hands on my hips, “I –I, well… Don’t laugh at me!”

“I- I’m not…” He laughs a bit more, “I am not laughing at y-you.”

“ _Sure_.”

“Hey, well now I know I get a reward for completing a bit of my homework.” Obviously pointing out how I hugged him. Wow, I really regret doing that now.

“You can only imagine what kind of reward you’d get if you finish the whole thing.” I say and then immediately widen my eyes. Did _I_ just say that? Isn’t that like, flirting? Oh my-

“Are you hitting on me, Tessa?” Reese asks with a raised eyebrow.

I put my hand out and dismiss the idea, “Of course I’m not, it was supposed to be a joke but I delivered it wrong-

“What _would_ happen if I finished the whole essay?” He inquires with a flirtatious, possibly perverted, glint in his eye.

“N-nothing… I mean, you’d probably get a good grade. Hopefully. But I don’t know what else could possibly-

“Sure, sure.”

I gulp and take a few steps away from him to get a breather. What is this guy doing to me? First I hug him and then blush and now I need to get away from him to breathe!? The old Tessa is fading, slipping away…

“So are you going to Jason’s party tonight?”

“Uh, no.” I reply.

“Yes you are, Malcolm told me.”

“Dammit.” I accidentally slip out.

He walks over to me with a suspicious look on his face, hand on hip. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“N-n-nothing!” I casually take a few steps back from the oncoming storm.

“Why are you backing away from me?”

“Because you’re acting very intimidating right now.”

“I intimidate you?” He looks proud for a moment, “wait, what does intimidate mean again?”

 

* * *

 

“Alright, we have to wait around ten to fifteen minutes after Mum and Dad leave.” Malcolm informs me.

“Why?” I ask.

“Because sometimes they leave their keys, wallet, jacket, who knows what behind. We can’t stuff it up now, we’re so close.”

“What about Dewey?”

“He can look after himself.” Malcolm tries to reassure.

“I don’t know…”

“He’s a genius, remember?” Reese reminds me.

“You guys shouldn’t rely on that-

“I’ll be fine. I’ve been taking care of myself since the day I was born.” Dewey cuts in. It’s a little depressing but I actually believe what he says… which is even more depressing.

“What are you guys whispering about?” Lois demands as she enters the room.

“Nothing!” Reese replies with a nervous look on his face.

“Uh-huh, and pigs fly! You should know by now that if you reply with that sort of answer then I definitely know something is up. C’mon, spit it out.” She hurriedly stabs her earrings through her earlobe piercings and fits on a necklace with pearls.

“I was the one who broke your hair-drier and they were just trying to cover it up because they owe me. They didn’t do anything wrong.” Dewey says quickly to cover up Reese’s mistake.

“Oh, Dewey!” She scowls. “Good try boys, nothing gets passed me.” She exits the room to slip on her shoes.

“You owe me.” Dewey whispers to us as he sits back down on the couch.

All four of us watch as Lois and Hal leave the house, too busy to be suspicious of us. We wait 10 minutes like Malcolm told us and then we get ready to leave. I open up my backpack revealing a nicer outfit than the one I wore to school. I grab it out of my bag and skip into the bathroom making sure all the doors are locked. Once I have my cute outfit on I do my hair and add just a bit of makeup. I step out of the bathroom and chuck the rest of my stuff into my bag, I’ll have to take this with me.

“Tessa? You ready?” Malcolm calls as I step out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. His eyebrows raise and I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.

Reese comes in looking a little nicer than usual. He actually looks sort of cute and he still reminds me of a puppy. He casually looks me up and down and I start to feel very self-conscious. “Whoa, you look hot!”

I blush a bright red and manage to stumble out, “Th-thanks.”

“We should get going.” Malcolm interrupts.

“Huh? Oh, yeah –let’s go.” I reply and follow the two boys out of the house. Being underage to drink is risky since the cops could come at any second but we’ve all decided that if worse comes to worse, it’s every man for himself.

Luckily Jason’s house isn’t far from the Wilkerson’s so we get there fashionably late. There are already dozens of teenagers scampering around half-naked and alcohol in hands. Reese immediately runs head-first into the crowd, I spot him next to that blonde girl from the other night. I roll my eyes and walk over to a cooler and grab a drink. I’ve already planned to not get drunk but a couple can’t hurt.

“Tessa?”

I immediately know whose voice that belongs to, my ex-boyfriend, Levi. I spin around and spot him halfway up the staircase. He smiles at me and acts as though we’re friends. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”

I dig my nails into my skin to control the nerves. I can’t believe that the one night I decide to go out, he’s here. “I wouldn’t usually but I came with some friends.”

“Friends?” He raises an eyebrow and smirks down at me. The old Levi is back. “Since when do _you_ have friends?”

“Shut up, Levi.”

“Ooo, I’m scared!” He chuckles and climbs up the rest of the stairs leaving me behind again. Old memories start to resurface and I suddenly feel very insecure and kind of panicky. Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.

I push through the crowd of dancing, drunk teenagers until I come to an exit. I grab my backpack and walk out of the house only to be stopped by a couple of older guys, freshmen in college?

“Hey darling, need a ride home?” One asks with a creepy smile and shifty eyes. I immediately recoil and start backing away into the house again. Why did I come?

“Tessa!” It’s Reese. I turn to the sound of his voice, he’s over by the coolers. I push through the almost endless crowd to get to him.

“What?”

“Were you leaving?” He eyes my backpack.

“Well, yeah.” I look away from his puppy eyes and adorable plead.

“Why? Did something happen?”

I freeze up for a moment remembering back to my encounter with Levi. “N-nothing happened I just don’t feel like staying here…”

He looks at me for a moment and I’m scared he’s going to figure it out. “You don’t have to lie to me, Tess.”

 _Tess_.

“I- it’s not anything important.” I struggle to keep him from prying any further.

He eyes me suspiciously but doesn’t push any further. “Okay, but I heard that they were going to start a game of spin the bottle.”

“No way-

“Please?” he practically begs.

“Fine, okay. But I’m not going to kiss someone who I don’t want to kiss.”

Reese rolls eyes and grabs my arm, leading us through the crowd of teenagers until we find the circle; mostly drunk. I take a seat beside Lisa and Reese finds one near the boys. I try to find whose turn it is and soon realise it’s Malcolm’s. I watch eagerly and I already can see who he’s hoping for. Lisa.

The bottle stops on someone else, however, but it doesn’t seem to disappoint him. They do their things and soon enough, they’re back in the circle waiting for another shot. How people find enjoyment of sucking face with anyone and everyone amazes me.

After Malcolm is… Levi. He doesn’t notice me and I try to escape but Lisa won’t let me. She’s got me stuck firm on the ground. The bottle spins and spins, like it’s going on forever. It’s almost too intense to watch. Suddenly the bottle slows down to a stop, pointing right at me.

“No way.” Levi states as he looks at his victim. “I am _not_ kissing my ex.”

“Dude, you gotta do what the bottle says-

I immediately break into the conversation, “No, it’s okay. I don’t want to either so let’s just skip-

“Excuse me?” Levi starts and I realize he’s a bit drunk. The way he talks and the slight swaying of his head is all too familiar. “You don’t get to say if you want to kiss me or not, _I_ do.”

“Uh, I don’t think so. I can choose whatever the hell I want to!” I fire back, the anger bubbling up from inside me.

“Your opinion won’t matter, no one wants to kiss a frigid, ugly girl like you anyway.”

Tears threaten to drip from my eyes as I hear these words escape his lips. I remember back to when we were dating, when I refused to have sex with him. When I refused to fulfil his physical needs. “Too bad you did.”

“Not anymore man, I realized how unsatisfying you are. What kind of woman doesn’t like affection? Even from the person they’re in love with!?”

“I-  
I stare around the room, lost for words. There’s nothing I can say or do that would clean up the mess made between us. I try to breathe calmly but it doesn’t work, “Look, I don’t want to talk about this right now Levi.”

It starts like a ripple, a chain reaction. People in the circle start whispering, “She’s frigid?” or “So that’s why they broke up…”, “He’s right, no one would want her now.”

“That- that’s not true.” Reese says as he stands up. “I would kiss her.”

My mouth drops open, oh for the love of-

Reese walks over to the glass bottle and spins it around only to stop on me. He walks over to me and picks me up from the ground. It all happens so fast. One minute I’m fighting with my ex and then next I’m kissing Reese. His lips press against mine and I taste the alcohol that was consumed. I thought it would be gross kissing Reese, I thought I would never ever do something like this but I am. And I’m not stopping it.

And I _like_ it.

The crowd ooo’s and ah’s. My hand clutches onto his shirt while his cups the side of my face. The kiss is soft and slow, it sparks something inside me. It’s like I want more but before I can deepen the kiss he pulls away. Just as shocked as I am. “I- I wasn’t going to kiss you but then I did and – _whoa_.”

I blink a few times, still in shock. I can feel Malcolm staring at us with just as much shock, maybe even more. I didn’t see this coming, no way did I see this coming. I’m just supposed to tutor him and that’s all but instead I ruin it by liking this. I grab onto his hand and take us both from the crowd of nosey idiots, but one guy shouts to us as we leave, “Dude they’re going to third base already!”

Rolling my eyes, we finally find a room upstairs that isn’t occupied or smells like vomit. It looks like a bedroom to a kid, maybe a little bit older but definitely younger than sixteen-year-old me. “Wait a second,” Reese starts, “we’re not going to third base, are we?”

I smack him on the back of his head, “No! I just wanted to get away from those idiots down there.”

He rubs the back of his head with his lips pouted and those adorable puppy eyes.

“Oh shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I don’t want to go back downstairs…” I whisper, my eyes staring down at my feet. “Why did you do that?”

“I wanted to help you!”

“All that did was make me look like a… a…” I struggle to find the right words. Desperate? No. “Look, it’s not like I hated it but it made me look like some kind of helpless girl who can’t stick up for herself.”

Reese glances down at the floor for a moment, “You liked it? So does that mean we get to make out instead of tutoring because I would be totally down for-

“No!” I scream before I hear what he says, “I- you’re an idiot.” I sigh, this isn’t going the way I planned. I’m just supposed to tutor him for a while until he shows improvement but now… well I don’t know how I feel. Maybe it’s just my hormones; please just be my hormones.

“So… what do we do now?”

“Nothing.”

Reese raises his eyebrow, “Are you sure? Because that kiss was pretty-

“We don’t do anything until I can work this out.”

“Until you work it out? Since when were you the boss?”

I frown up at him but he just grins back at me. Ugh, that stupid grin. “Look, we just need to act normal and no one will know about this… thing.”

“Pretty sure half of our school saw the kiss.”

“That was totally your fault! You can’t just come up out of nowhere and kiss me like that. Not in front of Levi…”

“No way! I was _rescuing_ you. I owed you one so now we’re even.”

“Don’t kiss me ever again.”

“What?” Reese whines, but instantly coughs to cover up his disagreement. “I mean, no crap.”

“It meant nothing.”

“Exactly.” Reese finishes. We sure argue a lot.


	4. Reese, The Comforter

I stumble behind Reese and Malcolm, my vision sort of blurry and unfocused. I giggle and almost collapse on top of Malcolm. The street we walk down is dark and empty, all solid things in sight not so solid anymore from the influence of alcohol.

“Dude, she is so drunk.” Malcolm states and Reese looks over at me, slightly worried.

“Pfft. I am _not_ drunk.” I reply, dismissing the idea completely. As if _I’d_ be drunk.

“What do we do? Do you reckon her parents will get mad?” Reese asks.

“Probably. I mean, who wouldn’t? She didn’t go home when she was supposed to, stayed out late on a school night, made out with you and then got drunk!”

Reese’s eyes widen immediately, “We did _not_ make out! Why would I make out with a nerd like her!?”

“My Mum won’t care.” I say, because it’s the truth. She wouldn’t. She’d either be drunk herself, at a party or asleep. If she found out she’d probably put on this whole act and try to give me a lecture but we all know she’s just faking it so no one can call her a bad parent.

“Is that code for she will?” Reese asks.

Malcolm sighs, “Probably.”

“So what do we do? We can’t sneak her into her house, I don’t even know where her house is! She can’t lead us, she’s too drunk…” Reese says, “Could we sneak her into our house?”

“Are you mental!? Mum will go berserk!”

“It’s date night! They’re probably too busy… you know… and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were drunk themselves. Also, they never wake up on time after date night. We could sneak her in unnoticeably and then sneak her out before they even wake up.”

Malcolm looks as though he thinks this through thoroughly, his eyes flittering nervously. Soon though he comes up with his answer. “Alright. But if they find out, you’re taking the blame.”

We arrive back at their house shortly after the previous conversation. I’m not really sure why I’m at their house again, I should probably go home, but when I try they pull me back by my arms and sneak me into their bedroom. I protest with a few grunts or groans, telling them in barely coherent words that I want to sleep in my own bed, but soon everything grows way too fuzzy and I find myself no longer caring about where I am; as long as I can go to sleep. Now, I sit on Reese’s bed while they get changed into their pajamas.

Reese comes out, followed by Malcolm, and hands me one of his t-shirts. “Put this on so you can sleep better.”

I stand up from the bed and snatch the shirt from his outstretched hand. I pull off my own tight, uncomfortable shirt and slip on his all the while both boys stare back at me, bewildered. “What?” I ask, “Never seen a pair of breasts in a bra before?” We all know that’s a lie. I look down at myself, I still have my mini-skirt on. “What about my skirt?”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that.” Reese says and turns to Malcolm expectedly.

“Don’t look at me! This whole thing was your idea.”

I frown at the both of them and then slip my skirt off and place it inside my backpack along with my shirt. I pull up my hair into a ponytail with my spare hair-tie and then go into the bathroom. After I do my business I manage to scrape off my makeup with water and one of Lois’ concoctions. I wipe my face dry and then enter the boys’ bedroom once again. Reese stares at my face a little too hard while Malcolm doesn’t even glance my way.

“Alright, you can sleep on my bed.” Reese says as he rolls back the blankets, “I can bunk with Malcolm and Dewey.”

“No way man! This bed is supposed to be for one guy only, we already have gone over the limit. You can sleep on the floor.” Malcolm whispers for Dewey’s sake.

“Fine.” He pouts and grabs an extra blanket and pillow from the cupboard in the hallway and lays down on the floor in his own cocoon.

I hop into Reese’s bed, already feeling the drunkenness subside. I lay my head down into Reese’s pillow. Wearing his shirt and sleeping in his bed really stinks but not in a bad way. It just smells like Reese and I suddenly find it quite amusing but keep it to myself. I roll over a couple of times before I feel the world go dark and my mind go blank.

* * *

 

I wake up and at first I am very confused and scared. This is not my bedroom. I look around the room which is almost pitch black so I reach for the lamp beside me. I’m in the boys’ room. Suddenly, wondering why I woke up is answered as I leap out of the bed and run into the bathroom to get rid of the alcohol. The liquid burns as it rises from my stomach and spews into the toilet bowl. A sweat breaks out on my forehead, and my hands don't stop shaking even after I finish. 

I vomit a few more times until the nausea is gone and the heaving stops. I pull my head out of the toilet and flush, hoping not to wake anyone. As I wash my face and hands though I feel a presence behind me and turn my head to see Reese standing in the doorway. “You okay?” He asks, slightly worried. He no longer wears a shirt, revealing his toned abs and arm muscles. I only just manage to avert my eyes somewhere else. 

“Yeah,” I wipe my face, “I’m fine.” But when I approach the door he does not move away, instead he holds his ground and keeps his stare on me.

"Are you sure?"

I hesitate for a moment, obviously I'm not fine. He can see that. After all that's happened tonight... "Maybe I'm not exactly fine, but... I'm better than before."

He nods, "Alright." He lets me back into the bedroom and I crawl back into his bed. 

I watch as he sits back onto the floor and I suddenly feel quite guilty. First, I get carelessly drunk and not knowing what happened while in that state scares me a little, but I’m sure I was a pain in the ass, and now taking his bed… I feel very selfish. “Hey,” I whisper, “You should sleep in your bed. I can manage the floor.”

“No it’s okay, I sleep in that bed every day.”

I stifle a laugh, sometimes his misunderstandings are quite adorable. “No, I’ve slept well enough, you need sleep too.”

“But you need the bed because you’re unwell.”

I sigh, “Just get in the bed, Reese.”

His face appears by the side of the bed, his hair slightly messy from rolling around restlessly. He raises an eyebrow, “Feisty.”

I shake my head and pull back the covers as he climbs in, just as I start to climb out though he pulls the covers over both of us. “I never said you could sleep on the floor.”

I look at him, and for some reason, I don’t feel uncomfortable. It’s almost natural to be sleeping in a bed with this seventeen-year-old boy. “Fine. Good night.”

“Good night.”

We both roll away from each other so not even a smidge of our bodies touch one another, but as the night grows colder and darker, we both somehow find our way back to each other. Arms and legs tangled, and I finally fall asleep to the steady heartbeat from within his chest under the side of my face as I use him as a pillow instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it's a bit shorter but it made sense to keep it at this length. Sorry for the incredibly long wait, I'm only just getting back into writing again after a really busy school year. Thanks again for all your support, hopefully I can continue this story at a steady pace again!


	5. Chapter 5

“Reese! Tessa! Get out of bed, quickly!” I wake up to Malcolm’s voice and immediately remember where I am. I look up at Reese as he looks down at me, both of our faces turning slightly pink as we realise how close together we are. A moment passes, and I hear Malcolm calling for us again so I roll over Reese and jump out of the bed. I quickly slip on yesterday’s school outfit while in the bathroom and chuck my hair up into a bun.

“What?” Reese asks, still a little sleepy, rubbing his eyes. He managed to put on a fresh shirt in the small time that passed.

Malcolm runs back into the bedroom, almost huffing from being so frantic. “Mum woke up early after date night, we’re so screwed.”

“Why didn’t you just take me home?” I whine from the doorway of the bathroom, rifling through my bag looking for my phone.

“Your parents would get mad, wouldn’t they!?” Malcolm whispers fiercely.

“Uh, no? I live with my Mum and half the time she’s drunk –the other half, she’s asleep or partying herself.”

“Dammit!”

Reese’s eyes widen so he hurries into the bathroom slips on a pair of jeans, and I run out of the bathroom as I sling my backpack on.

“How do I get out of here?” I ask.

“Through the-

“Malcolm? Reese! Dewey!” Lois’ voice screams as she tramples through the hallway.

“Oh crap.” I mutter.

“Get in the bathroom!” Malcolm whispers.

Reese slides out from the bathroom, his hair still suffering from twisting and turning most of the night. I edge closer to the bathroom, but then I realize that’s the most stupid idea I have ever heard. I slam down onto the floor and roll underneath Reese’s bed instead. I clap my hand over my mouth to keep from coughing from the dust. It’s like a whole other world under here. Inappropriate magazines, old food and underwear. It’s kind of terrifying, actually.

“Boys –oh. You’re up already?” Lois says as she enters the room.

Oh man.

Her footsteps wander over to Reese like he’s up for an inspection. Then she wanders over to the other boys. She glances around the room, noticing the made-up beds and cleaner floor. “What did you do?”

“Nothing…” Malcolm says calmly. I pray that Reese doesn’t say anything, if he leaves it up to Malcolm then maybe we can get away with this.

“Hmm, alright.” She walks out of the room so I shoot my arm from out of the bed but don’t realize that she pops her head back inside. I quickly pull it back in and hug it with my body. _Oh please, oh please, oh please! Don’t let me die this way!_

“What was that?” She asks.

“What was what?” Malcolm asks still keeping calm and collected.

“I thought I saw something under Reese’s-

“Mum!” Dewey comes running into the bedroom, almost breathless.

“What?” She snaps.

“Grandma is here.”

It’s like the life inside every living thing in the room is sucked away, I even sneak a look at Lois’ face. It’s dead white. “What the hell is she doing here?”

Dewey shrugs his shoulders and Lois’ leaves the room in a hurry. I crawl from out of the bed and Reese helps me up. Dewey gives us the thumbs up and then Reese opens the bedroom window. “If you go around the side now you’ll make it, she’s occupied. Don’t look back just keep running.”

“Uh, okay.” Before I can hop out of the window Reese pulls me back for a moment and gives me a dramatic hug.

I turn to look at him, “What was that for?”

“Just in case.”

“Oh for the love of – It’s not like I’m going to die!” I hop out of the window, “See you later guys!” I hear them all mutter a goodbye back and I start running, for the sake of my life almost.

After I’m about a block away I slow down to a walk. My heart still beating fast and my hands still sweaty from anxiety of being so close to death. What a morning it’s been. A few moments pass by however and then I realise something. Something incredibly outrageous. I was in a bed with a seventeen-year-old boy.

And it was _Reese_.

* * *

 

As I walk through the halls a few boys wolf-whistle at me and I suddenly fear for my life. What happened last night? I can remember a few things but not many… I haven’t really had time to think about – _oh_.

I remember the spin the bottle game and how I was publicly humiliated by my ex and then Reese “rescuing” me. I mentally face-palm, I hope nothing else happened. I think it was after the little talk we had I started to drink some more, even though I told myself I wouldn’t get drunk. What happened when we got back to their house? I remember vomiting but that was it. I feel my face turn red as I think about kissing Reese... how on Earth did that happen...

“So are you still going to try and convince me that you and Reese aren’t a thing?” Lisa asks as she passes me. She gives me a wink before I can answer and goes on her merry way.

I resist the urge to slap the back of her head, am I going to have to suffer through this the whole day? Ugh, at least it’s the weekend tomorrow and I won’t see Reese until Monday. And I won’t have to tutor him until Tuesday so by then everything should be calm, easy and back to normal. I make it to my first class in one piece.

* * *

 

So much for that idea.

“What?” I ask, utterly bewildered.

“I said, Mum wants to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night.” Reese asks as we walk home together with Malcolm and Dewey tagging along. I’m screwed.

“Why?”

“I don’t know, it’s her way of prying into your life a bit more.”

“So does that mean I actually have to make an effort?” I’m dreading tomorrow night already.

“If you don’t she’ll never allow you back into the house.”

“Hey, maybe that’s not such a bad idea…”

Reese glares over at me, I suddenly feel very small. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I… This is _so_ not what I planned.”

“Then maybe you should stop planning and just live life in the moment instead of for the future.”

I look over at him with a sense of disbelief, Reese giving _me_ advice? However, in a strange way, I know he is right. He seems to live in the moment every day of his life, and although he may not be doing fantastic in some areas… he still manages to have a lot of fun. That’s something I’ve missed.

“Well, I suppose I can’t turn Lois down.” I sigh and we stop at the corner where we usually part ways, “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, what time?”

“Uh… Malcolm?” Reese turns to his brother for help.

“Just come over at six.” Malcolm rolls his eyes and keeps walking by with Dewey.

“Alright… see you then.” I turn to walk away but before I can escape, Reese catches my eye.

“Tess, you don’t need to worry about my Mom. I know she seems all big and scary most of the time, but… I have a feeling she’ll like you.” He reassures me.

I give him a quick nod and then turn down my street, many thoughts swarming in my head about what could happen tonight. What if I completely embarrass myself? Or say the wrong thing? I know Reese said that Lois will like me but… as I think more and more about it, it doesn’t seem that likely.

When I walk into my house, I spot Lacey getting ready to leave the house. I suddenly feel this overwhelming urge to say something, like ‘I love you’ or ‘even though you’re a bitch sometimes, I still care about you’ but I can’t. She would probably just dismiss me by laughing and poking my cheek saying how weird I am.

“Where are you going?” I ask, trying not to sound heaps nosey. Fact is, I’m not nosey about her life in the way of being able to gossip about it behind her back. I’m just worried about her. And I miss her. We used to be a team before she graduated from high school, a tem against our crappy parents. But now it’s like I don’t even know her anymore.

“A party, want to come?”

“Me?” I laugh and shake my head, “You know I wouldn’t. Besides… I…” I stop myself, suddenly remembering that we never talk about my life. Just hers or Mom’s or the fact that there’s never any decent food in the fridge unless Dad is coming over.

“You’re…?”

I smile, however I know that the smile doesn’t reach my eyes. “Doesn’t matter.” I walk over to the cupboard and grab out a glass and fill it with water, “Just… don’t do any drugs.”

She laughs, “Okay, Mom.” We both stare down at the floor in silence, realizing that our Mom would never even say anything like that. Lacey picks up her handbag and stops before leaving the kitchen, “I heard you went to a party on Thursday.”

“I did.”

Lacey looks hesitant for a moment, “Don’t…” She laughs quietly, it sounds a little ironic, “Don’t turn out like me, Tess. Don’t turn out like your mother.” She holds her stare for one more moment before walking out of the kitchen, and soon, out of the house.

I stand there, almost bewildered. But instead of pondering on it some more, wondering to the ends of the earth why in the hell she would say that to me, I just swallow the rest of my water and push it to back of my head.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I would love to know what you think about this, so if you have the time please leave any suggestions or opinions in the comments! Thank you!


End file.
